AU697913B2

AU697913B2 - Snowboard boot binding system with rotatably adjustable highback leg support

Info

Publication number: AU697913B2
Application number: AU59483/96A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jake Burton Carpenter; David Dodge
Original assignee: Burton Corp
Current assignee: Burton Corp
Priority date: 1992-01-28
Filing date: 1996-07-12
Publication date: 1998-10-22
Anticipated expiration: 2013-01-27
Also published as: DE69325704T2; AU5948396A; EP0624112A1; KR950700099A; CZ181394A3; EP0624112B1; US5261689A; JPH10165561A; JP2918864B2; AU679882B2; DE69323912D1; EP0998963B1; ATE182275T1; ATE177334T1; AU672196B2; DE69324176D1; DE69325704D1; CA2117424C; AU716439B2; FI943531A7

Abstract

A snowboard binding system having a binding plate (18), the bottom of which is supported on a snowboard (10). The plate (18) includes a circular-opening (36) in its center which receives a disk shaped hold-down plate (30). The hold-down plate (30) may be secured to the snowboard (10) in several different positions on the snowboard (10) with the binding plate (18) assuming any rotational position with respect to the hold-down plate (30). Additionally, a high-back support (28) attached at the rear of the binding plate (18) may be rotated along an axis generally normal to the binding plate (18) (and therefore the snowboard (10)) and secured in its rotated position, to enable a rider to transmit forces to the snowboard (10) from a variety of stance positions.

Description

14' Our Ref: 601120 P/00/011 Regulation 3:2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT *i S [S *C 0 S S S *5 S

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i S Applicant(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: The Burton Corporation 80 Industrial Parkway Burlington Vermont 05406-4449 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level 10, 10 Barrack Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 Snowboard boot binding system with rotatably adjustable highback leg support The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 5020 4 P:AWPDOCs'AMD SPECf%60II20.BUR. 196 -1- SNOWBOARD BOOT BINDING SYSTEM WITH ROTATABLY ADJUSTABLE HIGHBACK LEG SUPPORT Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to boot binding systems for snowboards. More specifically, the invention relates to a snowboard binding having multiple degrees of freedom and adjustability.

A particular aspect of the present invention is the ability of the highback leg support to be able to be adjustably rotated about an axis that does not pass through the highback leg support, preferably in a plane normal to a plate adapted to mount the binding on the snowboard.

i Background of the Invention A recently popular sport, snowboarding presents operating conditions and physical 15 demands not found in other skiing-type sports. In snowboarding, the operator stands with both feet on the snowboard, somewhat similar to a slalom water ski. However, in waterskiing, the S. operator is pulled in a single direction by a power boat. The strength and positioning requirements of the attachment apparatus used for securing the operator's feet to the ski are therefore quite limited.

se eee In snowboarding, since the motive force is provided by gravity as the rider travels down a hill, the rider is able to and often must assume body positions not often found in other sports.

Specifically, the angle between the midline of the foot and the midline of the snowboard is often greatly altered for different snowboarding styles, such as acrobatics or simple travelling, and for different athletes.

It is often the case that either a boot worn by the rider or the binding itself will be provided with a support for the lower leg just above the ankle. However, when the angle of the midline of the foot with respect to the board is changed, this can also change the angle between the leg and the foot. Currently, a simple, rigid support that is merely perpendicular to the board and aligned along the midline of the foot is used. Some of these supports have the capability to r P:\WPDOCS\AMD\SPECI\01120.BUR -28/8/98 -2and aligned along the midline of the foot is used. Some of these supports have the capability to fold down against the snowboard surface. Other degrees of freedom are available, but only by disassembly and reassembly of the binding and snowboard.

Different riders also have differing requirements as to the distance between the two bindings on the board as well as the binding's position with respect to the lateral dimension of the board.

Summary of the Invention The present invention seeks to provide a boot binding system for a snowboard that has several degrees of freedom along the surface of the board.

The present invention also seeks to provide a boot binding system providing freedom about a normal to the surface of the board.

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15 The present invention also seeks to provide a boot binding system which is collapsible j; for storage and transport.

The present invention also seeks to provide a boot binding system which is simple and 3 cost effective to manufacture, yet reliable and efficient in use.

In one broad form, the present invention provides a snowboard binding for mounting "a boot to a snowboard, the binding comprising: Sa base adapted to mount the binding to the snowboard; and a highback leg support mounted to the base; wherein the binding is constructed and arranged to enable slidable and/or rotational adjustment of the highback leg support with respect to the base about a first axis that passes through the base within a periphery of the base but does not pass through the highback leg support Preferably, the first axis is substantially normal to the base.

Also preferably, the base has a bottom surface that is adapted to extend along an upper 0 surface of the snowboard when the binding is mounted thereto, and wherein the first Suj I m

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L I P:\WPDOCS\AMD\SPEC\601120.BUR- 5/6/98 -3axis is substantially normal to the bottom surface of the base.

In a preferred form, the highback leg support is mounted to the base at first and second adjustable attachment points.

Preferably, the binding is constructed and arranged so that each of the first and second attachment points can be adjusted forward and rearward along a length of the base.

Also preferably, the binding further includes means for enabling each of the first and second attachment points to be adjusted forward and rearward along a length of the base.

Sc Preferably, the snowboard binding further includes first and second sidewalls mounted j to opposing sides of the base, and wherein the first and second adjustable attachment points are respectively disposed on the first and second sidewalls.

Preferably, each of the first and second sidewalls is adapted to receive a screw to mount the highback leg support thereto in one of a plurality of adjustable positions.

In a preferred form, the first and second sidewalls extend along a length of the base, S 20 and wherein each of the first and second sidewalls includes an elongated screw hole extending along the length of the base.

Preferably, the highback leg support is mounted to the base for rotation about a second axis that is parallel to the base.

9, Also preferably, the highback leg support is mounted to the base for rotation about a second axis into a folded down position.

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1- CC- I L_ I L b s -L P:\WPDOCS\AMD\SPECI\601120.BUR- 5/6/98 -4- In a preferred form, the base includes a heel wall having a semi-circular contacting surface adapted to contact the highback leg support, and wherein the highback leg support has a semi-circular contacting surface adapted to contact the contacting surface of the heel wall.

Preferably, the contacting surfaces of the highback leg support and the heel wall have substantially the same radii.

Brief Description of the Drawings The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be understood more completely bb those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with a review of the appended drawings, in which: ,Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rider on a board having a snowboard binding system according to the invention; t, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a single snowboard binding according to the present S 15 invention; S, Fig. 3 is a top view of a snowboard binding according to the present invention; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and S4* Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the pattern of a set of screw-receiving openings formed in a snowboard using the snowboard binding system of the present invention.

i Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments Referring now to the details of the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a snowboard 10 having a snowboard binding system 12 according to the present invention, with a rider 14 having his feet engaged in the system. As can be seen in the figure, the centre line of each of the rider's feet, S' 25 a line from the heel to the toe, is situated at an angle to the centre line A of the board It can also be seen generally that, at each of the rider's ankles, the angle between the lower leg and the foot is somewhat different with each leg, partially due to the spread of the feet and also the varied angle of the feet with respect to the centre line of the board Support for the feet, preferably wearing a boot, and the lower legs while in this and

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i -V t P;\WPDOCS\AMD\SPECMI 01120.BUR- 91796 various other body positions is provided by each individual binding 16. In Figure 2, the base binding plate 18 that is mounted to the top of the snowboard 10 (Fig. 4) is seen with two side walls 20 rising from it near the heel 22 of the plate 18. At the heel 22 the two side walls preferably extend rearward of the binding plate 16 and connect to form a curved heel wall 24 (Fig. 3).

Mounted at two connection points 26 to the side walls 20 is a highback leg support 28 which is adjustable as described more fully below. As seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the binding plate 18 is attached to the snowboard 10 through the use of a hold-down plate 30 having splines, ribs or ridges 32 on at least a portion of its under surface that engage complimentary splines, ribs or ridges 34 on a central aperture 36 in the binding plate 18. As will be described more fully below, the structure of these various components of the binding 16 allows for freedom of movement of the binding plate 18 along the centre line A of the board, movement lateral to the centre line A of the board, rotation about an axis normal to the board, and rotation of the leg support 28 15 toward the binding plate 18 and about an axis normal to the board The hold-down plate 30 preferably has an inverted frusto-conical shape where the sloped walls 38 include the ridges 32 that engage the binding plate 18. The aperture 36 in the binding plate 18 has a complimentary frusto-conical shape with sloped walls 40 having complimentary ridges 34. Both sets of ridges 32,34 are symmetrical around their entire circumferences so that they will mate at many discrete positions.

S" For connection to the board 10, the hold-down plate 30 includes three screw-receiving holes 42 which are arranged so as to lie at the vertices of an equilateral triangle.

The pattern of holes 42 of the hold-down plate is repeated on the hold-down plate three times in laterally shifted orientation. Preferably, the three repetitions of each hole 42 overlap as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 for quick adjustment by loosening the screws (not shown) used to mount the plate 30, but not removing them, and sliding the hold-down plate 30, Alternatively, the three repetitions of holes 42 could be separate or could be merged into a single oblong hole.

The three repetitions of the holes 42 allow the hold-down plate 30 to be shifted to either side of r P'\WPDOCSk\AMD\SPECI\601120 BUR- 9/7196 -6the board in order to achieve further positioning flexibility of the binding plate 18 on the board In addition, a similar pattern of holes 44 is provided on the board 10 to match the equilateral orientation of the holes 42 in the hold-down plate 30 and is repeated twice. Each pattern repetition includes a fourth hole intermediate to two of the holes of the equilateral triangle and being on a circle intersecting the three holes of the triangle. Also, the two triangles are arranged so that they are rotated by 180 with respect to each other, placing the two intermediate holes as close as possible to each other. The pattern of holes 44 permits the hold-down plate 30 to be oriented in four positions that are displaced from each other along the length of the snowboard. Each possible position of the hold-down plate 30, not taking into S;.,account the three repetitions of holes 42, is indicated by a circle B in Fig. 5. The pattern 44 '."permits the hold-down plate 30 to be mounted in two positions facing in one direction and two positions facing the other direction, for a total of four positions, since the rotation of the hold-down plate 30 with respect to the centre line A of the board 10 is irrelevant, because the binding plate 18 may be rotated a full 360- relative to the hold-down plate 30. It can be seen, for 5 example, that the two rightmost positions B (as seen in Fig. 5) are formed by adding only one additional hole 44 (at position E) to those holes 44 already used to form the rightmost position

B.

Once the particular set of holes 44 in the board l0 is determined, the particular repetition i of holes 42 in the hold-down plate 30 and its rotational orientation are chosen, the binding plate 18 is held at the desired angular position while the hold-down plate 30 is mounted on top of the binding plate 18 and screwed into the board 10. The holes 44 in the board 10 may also include metal sleeves having internal threads for sturdier connection to the hold-down plate 30. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the pattern of holes 44 could be formed in a plate (not shown) embedded within or mounted onto the board It will be appreciated that the construction of the binding plate and hole pattern permit a great deal of freedom in adjusting the position of the bindings fore and aft, laterally and rotationally on the board, as well as the spacing between them. It will also be appreciated by ~L IC- i I S 4tt *41 I 44 44 4 I 4 94 0@ 4 44 P:\WPDOCS\AMD\SPECI\601 120.BUR- 917/96 -7those skilled in the art that the hold-down plate 30 need not be round to achieve the advantages of the pattern of holes 44, but should be symmetrical when rotated 180'.

The highback leg support 28 embodying the present invention includes an upright portion 46 and two forward diagonally extending arms 48 terminating at connection points 26 with the side walls 20 of the binding plate 18. These two connection points 26 allow pivoting of the highback 28 to a forward closed position (folded down) (indicated by arrow D, Fig. 4) for transport or storage.

The highback 28 may also be rotatably adjusted about the vertical axis (indicated by arrow C, Fig. 3) due to several structural elements. At the heel of the binding 16 the contacting surfaces of the highback 28 and the heel wall 24 of the binding plate 18 are both generally semi-cylindrical having similar radii. Additionally, the connection points 26 of the highback 28 are bolted through mounting holes 50 that are oblong along the length of the side walls 15 Therefore, it is possible to move one connection point 26 towards the heel while moving the other connection point 26 towards the toe of the binding 16, creating a rotation of the highback 28 about the vertical axis.

To insure positive locking of the highback 28 in its rotated position, the outer surface of 20 the side walls 20 adjacent the oblong mounting holes 50 is provided with splines, ribs or ridges 52. Preferably, a bolt 54 and washer 56 are used with a corresponding nut 58 to lock the connection points 26 in place, the washer 56 having complimentary splines, ribs or ridges to those around the oblong mounting holes The preferred binding 16 shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 is specifically designed for a left foot in that the front of the binding plate is skewed to the right side to accommodate the ball and large toe of the foot. Of course, this can simply be mirror-imaged to result in a similar binding for the right foot. The front areas of the side walls 20 are preferably provided with a plurality of holes or any other attachment points necessary to attach accessories (not shown) to the binding 16, such as straps for holding a boot in the binding. A similar hole 62 is formed toward the rear of the side walls 20 for attachment of an ankle strap (not shown).

rr P:\WPDOCS\AMDSPECI601120.BUR.- 5/6/98 -8- All of the components of the binding system 12 shown in Figs. 1-4, except the nut 58, bolt 54 and washer 56 used to secure the highback 28, are preferably formed of a high impact, high strength plastic, such as polycarbonate or any other known plastic material. These components can be formed by injection molding or any known manufacturing technique. Of course, other materials able to withstand the significant forces exerted during operation of the snowboard can be used similarly.

ct tr dC C e i c r,: re rr r r r i r i r r *r I While the preferred embodiments shown and described are fully capable of achieving the objects of the present invention, these embodiments are shown and described only for the purpose of illustration and not for the purpose of limitation, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that many additions, modifications and substitutions are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" or comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

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Claims

1. A snowboard binding for mounting a boot to a snowboard, the binding comprising: a base adapted to mount the binding to the snowboard; and a highback leg support mounted to the base; wherein the binding is constructed and arranged to enable slidable and/or rotational adjustment of the highback leg support with respect to the base about a first axis that passes through the base within a periphery of the base but does not pass through the highback leg support.

2. The snowboard binding as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first axis is substantially normal to the base.

3. The snowboard binding as claimed in claim 2, wherein the base has a bottom surface that is adapted to extend along an upper surface of the snowboard when the binding is mounted thereto, and wherein the first axis is substantially normal to the bottom surface of the base. c c

4. The snowboard binding as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the highback leg support is mounted to the base at first and second adjustable attachment points.

The snowboard binding as claimed in claim 4, wherein the binding is constructed and arranged so that each of the first and second attachment points can be adjusted forward and rearward along a length of the base.

6. The snowboard binding as claimed in claim 4, wherein the binding further includes means for enabling each of the first and second attachment points to be adjusted forward and rearward along a length of the base.

7. The snowboard binding as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, further including first and second sidewalls mounted to opposing sides of the base, and wherein the first and second adjustalble attachment points are respectively disposed on the first and second sidewalls. 6* p pi *r p *r p a p Pf **p a *opt a a *0 pr a *r p pap. a 'a a

8. The snowboard binding as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the first and second sidewalls is adapted to receive a screw to mount the highback leg support thereto in one of a plurality of adjustable positions.

9. The snowboard binding as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein the first and second sidewalls extend along a length of the base, and wherein each of the first and second sidewalls includes an elongated screw hole extending along the length of the base.

10. The snowboard binding as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, whereid'the highback leg support is mounted to the base for rotation about a second axis that is parallel to the base.

11. The snowboard binding as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the highback 15 leg support is mounted to the base for rotation about a second axis into a folded down position.

12. The snowboard binding as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the base includes a heel wall having a semi-circular contacting surface adapted to contact the highback leg support, and wherein the highback leg support has a semi-circular contacting surface adapted to contact the contacting surface of the heel wall.

13. The snowboard binding as claimed in claim 12, wherein the contacting surfaces of the highback leg support and the heel wall have substantially the same radii.

14. A method of producing a snowboard binding, substantially as herein described. B i 4 I :rl iv ~U~ _I 11 A method of assembling a snowboard binding, substantially as herein described. DATED this 5th day of June, 1998. THE BURTON CORPORATION By Its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE I t S I t S 4* fA I i P:\WPDOCS\AMD\SPECI\601120.BUR. 11/7/96 ABSTRACT A snowboard binding system having a binding plate the bottom of which is supported on a snowboard The plate (18) includes a circular-opening (36) in its center which receives a disk shaped hold-down plate The hold-down plate (30) may be secured to the snowboard (10) in several different positions on the snowboard (10) with the binding plate (18) assuming any rotational position with respect to the hold-down plate Additionally, a high-back support (28) attached at the rear of the binding plate (18) may be rotated along an axis generally normal to the binding plate (18) (and therefore the snowboard and secured in its rotated position, to enable a rider to transmit forces to the snowboard from a variety of stance positions. e4* t eat e.444 a e